The European Union “strongly” supports the international criminal court, and believes that it is necessary to “protect its independence”. This was stated by the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, after four of the CPI judges were sanctioned by the United States. “The CPI does not oppose nations, but to impunity. We must protect its independence and integrity. The rule of law must prevail over the state of power,” he wrote on X Costa.
The Eu Strongly supports The International Criminal Court, at Cornerstone of International Justice. Tea @Intlcrimcourt Does Not Stand Against Nations—it Stands Against Impunity. We must protect its Independent and integrity. The rule of law must prevail over the rule of power.
– António Costa (@eucopresident) June 6, 2025
Sanctions
The administration of Donald Trump has imposed sanctions to magistrates as unprecedented retaliation for the issue by the court of a stopping mandate for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and for the past decision to open a case on alleged war crimes of the US troops in Afghanistan.
The order issued by the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio concerns Solomy Balungi Bossa dell’Aganda, Luz DelCarmen Ibanez Carrance of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou del Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia.
Rubio said that these judges have actively engaged in the illegitimate and foundation actions of the International Criminal Court against America or our close ally, Israel “.
EU countermovers
The International Criminal Court and some of its Member States are urging the European Union to use its lock status, which would prohibit any EU company to respect US sanctions, to counter Washington’s move.
“Due to the inclusion of a citizen of an EU Member State in the list of sanctions, Slovenia will propose the immediate activation of the blocking act,” announced the Slovenian Foreign Ministry in a post on the Social Media website X.
The president of the CPI, the judge Tomoko Akane, had solicited the EU already in March of this year to bring the CPI back into the field of application of the EU’s block statute.
The new penalties have been imposed in a difficult time for the court, which is already suffering for the previous US sanctions against his chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who last month has temporarily moved away due to an investigation by the United Nations on an alleged bad sexual conduct.
